Claims of Apple Investing Billions in Sharp and Toshiba LCD Factories Revived
Last December, a report out of Japan claimed that Apple and Toshiba were set to invest over $1 billion in a new LCD factory to produce displays for the iPhone. And just a few days later, a nearly identical rumor popped up involving Sharp, leading to confusion over whether there was an error or if Apple was pursuing major investments with both companies.
More clarity came to the situation in January when Apple announced as part of an earnings conference call that it had made $3.9 billion in long-term investments with three companies in order to secure components over a two-year period. We concluded that the investment was most likely related to displays, with the Sharp and Toshiba deals appearing to make up a significant share of the total investment.
By April, word came that Sharp had been tabbed to supply displays for the sixth-generation iPhone, presumably set for release in 2012. The new poly-silicon (p-Si) displays reportedly have electrical components embedded into the glass surface, allowing for thinner and lighter displays.
Reuters now revives the rumors with a new report focusing on Apple's claimed investment in Sharp's factory while also referencing the Toshiba deal. The investments are presented within the context of Apple's patent dispute with Samsung, a dispute that some have suggested may be driving Apple to decrease its reliance on Samsung for components.
Apple Inc plans to invest in a Sharp Corp factory to secure a supply of LCD screens for iPhones and iPads, sources said, triggering expectations Apple may step up orders to Japanese parts makers.
The proposed move, along with an investment in a new LCD factory of Toshiba Corp, comes as Apple and key supplier Samsung Electronics battle in courts over patent disputes, spurring talk that Apple may diversify suppliers.
Sharp's shares jumped slightly today after brokerage firm MF Global FXA Securities issued a research note highlighting the probability of an investment by Apple, apparently spurring Reuters to summarize what its sources have been indicating for some time.
Apple already appears to be shifting away from Samsung for production of its custom processors for its iOS devices, with TSMC reportedly beginning trial production of Apple's next-generation A6 system-on-a-chip. Today's report also indicates that flash memory manufacturers Elpida and Toshiba are hopeful that Apple will look to diversify its suppliers in that area as well.
Popular Stories
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect.
There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect.
The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design.
It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information.
Relocated Charging Port
While the Magic Mouse switched from...
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent.
A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things.
Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
Apple's next-generation iPad Pro models with the M5 chip will "launch this year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new iPad Pro models have progressed to an "advanced testing" stage, and he expects mass production of the devices to begin in the second half of this year. If that timeframe is met, the new iPad Pro models could launch...
